The Heat matched up nicely against the Pacers during the 2011/12 regular season, winning three of the four encounters between the two teams. Obviously, the playoffs are a completely different animal, and the Heat won't be taking the Pacers lightly.
"They're a much different team in the last six weeks," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters about Miami's upcoming series. "We feel we are, too. Watching some of our film from those last two games [against Indiana], it's not really recognizable. Our energy level at that period of time, but also how we were playing offensively - there's a lot of different things from our standpoint."
LeBron James will be highly motivated to play on Sunday, considering the fact he's just collected his third regular season MVP award. While LeBron was honored to make history by becoming the ninth NBA player to win three MVP awards, he remains solely focused on the big picture.
''Heat nation, we have a bigger goal,'' LeBron said after receiving his award. ''This is very overwhelming to me as an individual award. But this is not the award I want, ultimately. I want that championship. That's all that matters to me.''
The Pacers got a little lucky in the first round of the playoffs, going against a Dwight Howard-less Orlando Magic. Against Miami, they'll have three solid (four if you consider how well Mario Chalmers has been playing in the postseason) superstars to deal with, and I don't think they'll be able to handle the heat.
The Pacers will try their hardest against the Heat, but they'll probably fall short in the end. They're simply not good enough to derail Miami's championship dreams, and I expect the series to be over in five games or less.
David is a Miami Heat fan that has followed the team for 16 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Associated Press, "Pacers-Heat Preview"
Associated Press, "LeBron James wins third MVP award"
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